Chain of Command
by emjac
Summary: New recruit Ashley juggles her responsibilities to Casey and her relationship with Severide.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Disclaimer on top of disclaimer: This is my first submission to this fandom. I have only watched the current season of Chicago Fire and I fear I may be way out of character here. Their voices are not yet in my head. But this story was, and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. Forgive me if I messed everything up, but maybe someone can suspend reality and enjoy it. I hope that's you!**

"Clean up and meet me in my office," Casey said as he walked by her, looking straight ahead and not breaking stride.

Ashley showered and dressed, taking her time and replaying the scenario the whole while. She broke protocol but she wasn't sorry. He would have to respect that. She started towards his office but found herself in Kelly's instead. She stood there until he looked up at her. Seeing her, he raised his eyebrows, dropped his pen, and turned his body to give her his full attention.

"Casey's mad at me," she said, thumb nail finding its way into her mouth.

He smiled. "I'll bet. I would be, too, if you were on my team. Team. Remember? We work as a team."

She pulled the thumb from her mouth and her hands landed on her hips. "I didn't come in here to be lectured by you," she said, feisty and flirty at the same time.

"No? So what did you come in here for then?" A smile played on his lips.

"Procrastinating, I guess. Although a little support would be nice."

"You lost, Eldridge?" Casey's voice boomed behind her.

With her back towards her superior, she grimaced at Kelly and said, "No, sir."

"Good. My office, then. Now." He stepped back and waited for her to leave in front of him. He considered Severide who threw both hands up in front of himself in surrender and returned to his paperwork.

Casey closed the door behind him and moved around Ashley to sit at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at her. She stood at attention, hands behind her back, gaze above his head, not daring to speak until spoken to. When she was good, she was good.

"Care to explain what happened back there?" he asked.

Her eyes moved down to look at his but her fingers clenched and unclenched behind her back. "I was making my way out of the building when I saw a woman struggling to get up. I went to her, assessed her condition, then dragged her out."

He pushed a chair towards her with his foot. "Sit down," he said. He noticed her take in and let out a breath as she followed his order. "Why didn't you report your location?" Her lip twitched as he continued. "Four and a half minutes, Eldridge. Four and a half minutes when I didn't know where your were or if you were even conscious. That's a long time in a fire." He paused to let his statement sink in. "Was your radio working?"

She hesitated before answering, annoyed that he asked a question he knew the answer to. But chain of command was important to him. "Yes, sir," she said. Her eyes left his. She shouldn't have let them but now that she was sitting and her hands were in her lap, where she couldn't twist them as aggressively as when they were behind her back, she felt too vulnerable for eye contact. She bit the inside of her cheek and waited for him to continue.

"So why didn't you use it?' he asked.

She thought for a moment about how best to answer his question. Nothing she said would make her actions acceptable to him. The academy had been easy. She breezed through it and was grateful for this job that she loved, but letting her guard down and depending on her colleagues proved difficult. "I don't know," she said.

"That's the answer you gave me the last time we had this conversation and it's not good enough any more. I need you to do better."

"Honestly, I don't know," she said.

Ashley conducted herself in a similar manner a week or so previously. Chief Boden had been present at that fire and told Casey, in no uncertain terms, to handle it. It was lucky for both of them that he wasn't on today's scene. This problem needed to be fixed. He could not let this slide again. She also showed great potential. To help her live up to that, he had to push her. He picked up her file from his desk and began to skim through it. "There's nothing in these reports from the academy that suggest you should be having a problem on calls. You excelled at everything. So," he looked up from the file and was pleased that her eyes were again focused on him, "is it an ego problem?"

Her temperature rose and she clenched her fingers. "No!" she said. "No. That's not who I am. You have to believe me."

"You've been here for a month so I don't really know who you are and I'm not going to believe what you say if you can't prove it with your actions."

Ashley stood from her chair and turned away from him. She felt like a child. He was treating her like one, and she was responding like one. But perhaps she had acted like one in the first place.

Casey remained silent as he listened to her attempts at controlling her breathing and her emotions. After a few moments he said, "Ashley, we can work through this. Come back and sit down."

She did. And she looked at him. She could not hide the tears in her eyes, but she willed them not to fall. "I assure you, Lieutenant, it is not an ego problem."

"Ok," he said. "Then walk me through it. You were following us back out of the building and stopped when you saw the woman on the ground. Why didn't you call out to anyone?"

She decided to wade through unfamiliar territory and trust him. No other option felt right. "It didn't even occur to me. She was in distress and I was afraid I wouldn't get to her in time."

"Alright," he said. "I radioed for you and you didn't respond. Three times I ordered you to respond and give your location. What was going through your head?"

She had nothing to lose now and could determine no other way out of her current situation. She continued to be honest and trusting. Two things that seldom came easy for her. Looking at him, her spoke with strength and deliberation, "I need to have everything done right and under control before I call in. I was trying to make sure I had it. I wanted to do it by myself, without anyone's help, so no one would question my abilities. That's not ego."

Casey saw the sincerity in her eyes. He shook his head and said, "No. Not ego. Sounds like insecurity to me. Which would be fine if you had a desk job in an office. It doesn't work in a burning building with a semi-conscious victim.

Ashley nodded her head and considered everything. "There was a lot of pressure in the academy," she said.

Casey indicated the file again, "You excelled in the academy."

"Yeah. I did. By making sure everything was perfect and by not asking for help."

"If they allowed that to happen, then they failed you," he said. Ashley slid back in her seat and a breath of air escaped. She bit her lip to stop the quiver in her chin, and tilted her head up to the ceiling to force back the tears that leaked from her eyes. He gave her a moment then continued. "I can help you through this if it's what you want."

"It's all I've ever wanted," her voice shook and she gave up control on the flow of tears.

"But you have to trust me and everyone else in this company. And it's going to be difficult and take time."

She pulled herself up straight and nodded.

"And I'm going to hold you back a bit until I can trust your judgement."

She didn't like it, but understood and nodded again. Sensing the conversation was about to end, she wiped at her face and stood.

"Now, I want you to write up everything that happened today exactly as you've told me," he said, standing as well. "Here, take my desk." She looked at him. "You cannot leave this office looking like that. You'll never live it down. Work in here."

"Thank you," she formed a small smile and switched spots with him.

"When you're done, leave the report on my desk and go clean out the truck."

"The guys have probably finished that by now," she said.

He smiled at her, "Nah. I told them to save it for you."

"Yes, sir," she said. As he opened the door to exit she added, "Lieutenant," and waited for him to turn. "Thank you. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me."

He smiled, nodded, and left.

CFCFCFCFCF

Kelly entered the garage from behind Ashley and admired the view for a moment while she removed items from the truck and tried to organize them. After spying no one around, he moved closer to her, crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "Hey."

"Hey," she answered, not bothering to turn around or even stop working.

"You were in Casey's office for quite a while."

"Yep." she said.

"Are you cleaning this thing by yourself?"

"Pretty sure I'm being punished."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Nope," she said, throwing things to the ground, "I definitely do not want to do that. Because if we do that, one of two things will happen." She continued to throw equipment off the truck as he watched with amusement. "Either we will fight, or you will lecture me and then we will fight. So, no, I do not want to talk about it."

"Ok," he said. "I'm just trying to be supportive here. That's all."

"Severide, you want to be supportive? Take off your clothes and get on top of me. That's what you can do."

She amazed him. "Oh my God," he said. "Are you kidding me right now?" He reached for her bicep and flipped her around so her back was against the truck. Her blazing eyes met the fire in his for a second before his mouth dove into hers. She dropped the items in her hands and raised both arms above her head. His hands grazed her sides and he deepened the kiss. She melted under him and relaxed for the first time in hours. Her hands settled behind his head and held him close.

Casey kept his eyes forward as he walked by his friend ravaging his subordinate. When he was almost out of the garage he said, "Working hard on that truck, Eldridge?"

Kelly broke the connection and buried his head in her neck as she called out, "Yes, sir." Addressing the man still clinging to her, she said, "I think we'll have to finish this later."

Kelly peeled himself off her, held her face with his two hands, and gave her one more hard kiss. "Make sure you save some of those 'yes, sirs' for me later." He left her to her work.

CFCFCFCFCF

The hum of the heat was the only sound Severide heard when he woke, but he sensed it was early enough that he should still be sleeping. Something was out of place. He left his eyes closed as his brain transitioned from sleep to wake, then opened them to find the room dimly lit by a lightening of the sky peeking around the edges of the blinds. A slight turn of the head showed him what was amiss. Ashley. She perched at the edge of her side of the bed, elbows on knees, head in hands. Long tresses splayed across her back with a few strands hanging over her head. He reached a hand out and landed it on her hip. If it surprised her, it didn't show.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"It's ok," his voice was slurry with sleep.

They were still and silent for a few more moments. She wasn't going to start a conversation, and he was trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Mission accomplished, he began, "What's wrong?"

"Can't sleep," she said.

He scratched at her hip. "Need to go another round?"

Her silence answered him and he halted the movement of his fingers.

"We should talk about it," he said.

Ashley's hands moved from her forehead to her chin. "I thought there was an unspoken rule in the house about not talking about calls."

Sometimes he hated that rule. Not even the seasoned members of the crew handled things perfectly all the time. Sometimes, talking about it was the answer, especially for rookies. He dug his fingers into her side to make sure he had her attention. "We're not at the house. And you talk to me about anything you want, anytime. Got it?"

Ashley leaned back and scooched to the top of the bed. Kelly's arm lay open and she fell into it, resting her cheek on his chest. He reached for the sheet and pulled it up before folding his arm around her.

She enjoyed the comfort of him as his thumb trailed down her arm. "Did Casey tell you?" she asked, "about our conversation?"

"No," he said into her hair, leaving a kiss there, "he wouldn't do that."

"He said he's going to hold me back a bit." She didn't stop the tear from coming. When he didn't respond, she continued, "Do you think I can do this?"

Her small voice worried him. "Yes," he said. "But you might get to the point where you don't want to. Many people have. And that's ok."

"I don't remember ever wanting to do anything else."

"Then you'll probably make it. But whatever you decide is ok. Don't forget that." He waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he reached down with both hands and pulled her on top of him. "Now are you ready for another round?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." She covered his mouth with hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I meant for this to be a one-shot, but thought of more to add and kept going. I have now seen all of the episodes, but the characters are still a bit out of character. Most of the story involves my oc. I hope you enjoy it. Please review if you do.**

"I have a new Candidate for Truck for you?" Chief Boden told the captain in his office.

"Another one?" Casey asked. "I'm still working with Eldridge."

"Yeah, but she seems to be coming along alright. Right?"

"She is now. It was a rocky start but things are better now. But I am by no means through with her. Why are they sending us another one?"

"Politics. And that's the end of it. His names Garrett. William Garrett. He starts next shift." He handed Casey the file and moved on the the next item of business on his desk.

Casey rolled his eyes and took his leave. Some things were not worth arguing about, or even trying to understand.

CFCFCFCFCF

Ashley halted in the hallway on her way to the kitchen when she heard the tell tale voice. Another couple of small steps in that direction confirmed her suspicion. Will Garrett was in the house. Introductions were being made. Her stomach dropped at the sounds of her friends, her family welcoming him. She turned and crept to the locker room without a backwards glance.

Locker open, Ashley peered inside it unable to process anything she saw. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, deeply, trying to steady her heart rate and her shaking hands. It wasn't working. Any minute Boden's morning meeting would start. She should be in the common room by now, but had to be strong and calm first. She felt neither. Her eyes finally focused and found a long forgotten water bottle in back of the top shelf. She reached for it and took a couple of swigs. The only idea worse than attending that meeting with him in there would be for her to arrive late and draw attention to herself. She considered leaving. Walking out the door and never looking back. But, man, she loved this job. She had worked hard and gained the trust of her coworkers, even if trusting them in return remained a challenge.

Sucking down one more gulp of water, she tossed the now empty bottle into the trash on her way to the meeting.

Ashley snuck in as Chief Boden was introducing Will as the new Candidate on Truck. She kept her eyes down and dropped into her normal seat beside Sylvie.

"Where were you?" Sylvie asked in a hushed voice. "I was getting worried."

"Just running late," Ashley said, her legs crossed under the table, hands overlapped on her knee to prevent its knocking.

Sylvie was subtle in the turn she made towards Severide who stood in the back of the room against the wall. He kept a visual surveillance on his girlfriend, but let his eyes slip towards Sylvie's and answered her questioning glare with a shrug. Whatever was going on with her friend was news to him.

Ashley survived the meeting by concentrating on her breath. In most anxious settings, she would try to hold it, which would end in disaster as she then had to gasp for more. She refused to look and discern if Will noticed her. She only breathed in and out with deliberation and prayed for the meeting to end.

When Boden dismissed the group to start their day, everyone left the room. Sylvie noticed her friend not budge and stayed behind.

"Are they all gone?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. Everyone left."

"Oh, thank God," she said as she uncrossed her legs and threw her head into her hands on top of the table. "I don't think I can do this."

"Do what, Ashley? What's wrong?"

Ashley never had a chance to answer her friend because, like a Pavlovian dog, she pulled herself together at the sound of the alarm calling all personnel.

Ashley sat in the truck adjusting her gear, listening to orders from Casey, and ignoring Garrett to the best of her ability. Her luck ended when Casey finished talking and Garrett turned to her. "Hey, Eldridge, I didn't know you were with this company. Nice to see you again."

"Yup," Ashley said, game face on and looking straight ahead. She ignored the sideways glances from the rest of the crew as they pulled up to the location.

CFCFCFCFCF

Will approached Ashley later that same day, when he found her in the kitchen preparing lunch. She didn't stop what she was doing, but stole a peek upwards to see who was in the common room and where they were all situated. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business and paying no attention to hers, except for Severide who glanced at her, then back down at the magazine he was perusing.

"Hi," Garrett said as he stood close to her.

Ashley took a step to the left and asked, "Can I get you something, Garrett?"

"No," he said. He followed suit and took a step to the left, once again standing too close to her. He reached out and placed his left hand on top of her right. She tried to pull back, but he grabbed it before she could get away from him.

She turned her head to look at him and spoke through gritted teeth, "Let go of me."

Garrett removed his hand and moved back. Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room, and Severide rose and walked over to stand next to Ashley. "Everything ok here?" he asked. Garrett tossed his hands up in front of him and turned to leave without saying a word. Kelly followed him with his steely blue eyes, then turned the orbs to Ashley. She continued chopping vegetables with laser focus. He reached for her arm and she flinched.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's ok." He put his hand on her back, content that she let it settle there. "What was that about?"

"Ancient history," she said, gathering some veggies in her hands and tossing them in the skillet. "Really," she said, finally looking at him, "I'm fine." She leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Let me know if anything changes." He snuck a pepper stick and left her to the cooking.

CFCFCFCFCF

The next night, Ashley and Kelly joined their friends for a night out at Molly's. The were sitting at a high table with Kim and Adam from the 21st district. The evening was young and they settled in for the long haul. The glass and a half of wine, coupled with the shot of whiskey she had imbibed in earlier, began to work their magic.

"So, what's with the new guy?" Kim leaned over the table as she spoke, Kelly and Adam engaged in a conversation of their own. "He's kind of cute."

"Garrett? He's an ass," Ashley said as she gulped down the rest of her drink.

Kim's eyes widened. "Really? Sounds like there's a story there."

"Yeah," Kelly jumped in after overhearing what they were talking about. "A story she hasn't been willing to share." He put his arm around her waist.

They all stopped talking as Garrett approached the foursome carrying shot glasses for the table. "Hey, guys," he said with a wide grin, "here's a round on me. Drink up!"

Appreciative comments were made and all except Ashley threw back their shot. Ashley kept quiet and let her friends enjoy their drink, but her action, or lack of action, was noticed.

"What's wrong, Eldridge?" Garrett asked. "Drink."

She looked up at him and the browns of his eyes darkened. "I'm good," she said. "I'm not thirsty." Her bravery came from the alcohol she had ingested and the friends she was with. He wouldn't dare try anything in their presence. They all knew it. He glared at her for another moment, and stalked away.

"You do not like that guy," Kelly said with a laugh, as Kim and Adam left to mingle with others.

Ashley swiveled her stool so her whole body was facing his. She leaned in close and flashed him a smile. "I do not. How could you tell?" Her lips pecked at his.

"Are you really done drinking?" he said before she moved in for another kiss.

"I am," she said. She moved her hand to his thigh.

"And are you done with this little show you're putting on for him?" he said, greedily soaking up the sight of her.

A brief flash in her eye indicated the annoyance at his suggestion. Ashley pulled back a bit and took a slow look up and down his body. When her eyes again met his, she said, "Oh, honey. My show is only for you."

Kelly stumbled to his feet and fished for money with one hand while his other refused to leave his girlfriend's back. When he found a bill to toss on the table, he said, "Then let's get out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: After rereading the last chapter, I decided to change the word "stumble" in the last paragraph to "rose." I don't think Kelly would stumble for any woman, not even Ashley. When I figure out how to change that without messing up all the formatting, I will. I enjoyed writing the chapter. I've gone over it many times, and think I will leave it here. Let me know what you think, and thank you!**

The call to 5801 South Ellis Street caused everyone to step up their pace as they knew it was coming from a dormitory at the University of Chicago.

Panicked students swarmed from the building as Ashley made her way to the lowest level. Smoke billowed from under doors and she kicked them down and called for victims to respond. The only answers she received were identical calls from the rest of the company. Every room had to be checked and they all worked in a methodical manner. The chatter came through over her radio and she tried to keep up with it and everyone's location. As she finished searching the final room in the corridor the chief's voice ordered all to vacate the building. Confident that there were no students on this floor, Ashley turned to the door to see Garrett standing in front of it, his face peering at her from behind his mask. Her eyes widened in surprise and probably fear. The thought flashed in her mind that he liked the effect he had on her, so she schooled her features.

"Garrett, we have to get out," she said.

"You're sleeping with him."

The roar of the fire made hearing difficult. He couldn't possibly have said what she thought he said. "What?" she asked.

"Severide. You've been fucking him."

Boden's voice came through the radio again, demanding that they vacate the building. "We have to leave," she shouted out to him again. "Now!" She walked toward the exit he was blocking in hopes that he would move when she got there, but he did not. He pushed her back.

Moving around in her turnout gear, in the middle of a rolling fire that she needed to escape was hard enough without being pushed. She fell to the ground. Her feet could not get underneath her before Garrett was upon her again, this time whacking her across the side with his halligan. She pressed her emergency button and immediately called, "Mayday! Mayday!" Garrett turned and rushed out the door.

Boden called, "Eldridge, what's your location?"

"Last room on the bottom floor. Southeast corner." She struggled to rise.

"Casey!" he said.

Before awaiting further instructions, Casey reported. "Cruz and I are close, Chief. We'll get her."

"They're coming to get you, Eldridge. What's your situation?"

Ashley struggled to her feet, but the found no viable exit. She would have to wait. "Garrett," she said. She didn't know where to go from there. The fact that he attacked her and left her to die in a burning building seemed too outrageous to relay through the radio.

"Where's Garrett?" Boden asked.

"He left," she said into the radio. "He knocked me down and left me here."

CFCFCFCFCF

Sylvie waited for her friend to emerge from the building. When she caught sight of her being assisted by Cruz, she rushed to her side.

"I'm fine," Ashley said before anyone could ask her.

"Come with me," Sylvie said and ushered her to the passenger side of the the ambulance, out of view of everyone. Ashley leaned against it and Sylvie grabbed her a water bottle. "You should sit," she said.

"I'm fine," Ashley said again and took a couple of big gulps of the water, but she sat sideways in the passenger seat.

"You are not fine. What the heck happened in there?"

"Not now," Ashley kept her voice quiet. "Tell me where he is."

Sylvie took a step back and glanced around the truck. "Everyone's packing up. He's with Chief and Casey. Looks like he's getting reamed."

"Good."

Sylvie turned to look around some more. "Severide's on his way over. Fast."

"No," Ashley said, eyes wide, head shaking. "Not now. If I see him I'll break."

Sylvie stepped around the truck to stop Severide before he got any closer.

"Is she alright?" he asked. Not letting Sylvie's presence slow him.

She put her hand on his arm and he stopped. "She's ok. Shooken up, but ok. Talk to her later. She can't see you now."

He looked into her eyes for a moment and understood her meaning. "Ok," he said. "Tell her I'll meet her at the hospital."

Dawson called from the back of the ambulance where she had been caring for the last of the victims. "Bret! We gotta roll."

"Ok," Sylvie said. She returned to Ashley, who had been joined by Chief Boden.

"I can't go back with them in Truck," she said. "Let me ride with Dawson and Brett."

"Fine," Chief Boden said knowing full well that his every intention was her taking a trip to the Emergency Department, "but if you're going to the hospital, you're getting checked out." When it looked like she was going to argue he added, "That's an order."

She turned herself to face forward in the passenger seat and he closed the door.

CFCFCFCFCF

Ashley paced in a cubicle at the ER trying to process all that happened. Garrett tried to kill her. Someone in this world wanted her dead, and he almost succeeded. The noise and bustle of the hospital provided her with the solitude and stillness she needed. As anxious as she was to leave, she loathed the probing that was about to come.

Kelly, of course, was the first to enter and, as expected, she crumbled. She threw her hands up to cover the ugliness of the pained expressions she knew she was making and held her breath to keep the sobs from coming. In two long strides, he was upon her, placing his hands on either side of her head and pulling her close. He waited as long as he could for her to let go of her emotions before saying, "Baby, you have to breathe."

Permission granted, she sucked air into her lungs and dropped her hands long enough for them to find their way around his back. She cried as quietly as she could into his shirt and pretended they were anywhere but the busiest trauma center in the city of Chicago.

Kelly knew she was too aware of her surroundings to relax into his arms for too long, so when the cries softened and he felt her tense again, he spoke. "I think the purpose of that bed over there is for you to lie down on it."

She stepped back from him and wiped her face. She noticed that his hand never left her and she was glad for it. He was the only man, the only person, she would allow herself to be vulnerable with. They had not involved with each other for long, but in that time he garnered her trust. He grounded her. "Not happening," she said.

"I'm pretty sure the doctor will insist." Kelly loved and admired her strength and her spunk, but after what happened at the fire, he needed her to acquiesce. Before the night ended, he would need to take care of her.

Ashley looked up at him "Physically, I'm fine. I don't need a doctor." She walked towards a chair in the corner where she had stashed her turnout gear and began gathering it. "Besides, they're busy here and I'm tired of waiting. Please. Just get me out of here."

He didn't want to argue with her but was prepared to do so and win, when the curtain opened and Dr. Manning entered the room. "Ashley, I'm sorry for the wait and I'm so sorry for what happened to you. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, Dr. Manning. I just want to go home."

"Ok, well, since you're here, let me check you out. Come sit down." She looked up at Severide. "Would you mind waiting outside, Lieutenant?"

"Sure," Kelly started.

"No," Ashley said as she sat on the bed. "He's staying."

"Ok," Dr. Manning said. " If that's what you want." She listened to Ashley's heart and lungs and reviewed the vitals that were taken upon her arrival. "Any chance I can get you to lie down?"

"No." Ashley stared out beyond the doctor and was comforted when Kelly began rubbing her arm from where he stood behind her.

"Did you hit your head?" the doctor asked, feeling for bumps.

"I don't think so. But if I did I was wearing a helmet."

Satisfied with the answer, as well as the examination, Dr. Manning moved her hands down Ashley's body. When they landed on her left side, Ashley flinched.

Convinced that asking for permission was not the route to take, Dr. Manning used her authoritative voice to say, "I'm going to lift your shirt." She completed the action before Ashley had time to respond. An angry red slash rose from her skin and the doctor poked at it, apologizing as she did so for the pain she generated. "Do you remember what caused this?"

Against her will, tears formed and she left them undisturbed. She felt embarrassed, and angry, and scared. "Ummm . . . I'm pretty sure it was a boot." She felt Kelly's hand trail down her back and, while she hated that he was hurting from this, she was glad he was there.

"Nope," the doctor said, "that's not a boot."

Kelly peered at the injury. "Looks like a halligan bar. He hit you with that?" The answer obvious, Kelly tried to hold onto his anger. There would be time for him to lash out later. Ashley needed him calm.

She shook her head. "I was on the ground. I thought I was kicked. I guess a halligan makes sense."

"Ok, well," Dr. Manning met Ashley's eyes, "this should be x-rayed. You may have some broken ribs."

"No! Please. If they're broken you'll tell me to take a painkiller and rest. Let's just skip the x-ray and do that. I have to get out of here. Please." She wiped the tears that now irritated her.

"That's not really a good idea." She looked from Ashley to Kelly hoping to have his support. "Listen, Ashley, I know you've been through a lot tonight, but there are people outside who need to talk to you. You know how these things work. They have to get your statement as soon as possible while the events are still fresh in your mind. You also need it medically documented if your ribs are broken, both for the department as well as any police report that may be written. So here's what we'll do." She turned and grabbed a gown from the shelf. "I'm going to leave. You have ten minutes to get into this gown and lie down on that bed before I send transport to come and take you to x-ray. While we wait for the results, give your statement. Then I'll get you out of here. That's the best I can offer. I'll see you in a bit."

Ashley wanted to be annoyed but instead was comforted by someone else making decisions and leaving no room for argument.

CFCFCFCFCF

Once the guy from transport left her settled back in her cubicle, Ashley leaped off the gurney and searched for her clothes. At least her intention was to leap. It was more like a stumble. Kelly wanted to grab her and put her back into bed, but throughout their brief yet intense relationship he learned not to handle her, physically or otherwise. It would only end in a fight, and they had suffered plenty of those. Besides, she looked too battered to fight with tonight. Instead, he grabbed a bag of clean clothes that Sylvie had brought from the station, and helped her dress.

"Thank you," she said when they finished and he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead and helped her onto the gurney.

Soon after, Casey and Boden entered the cubicle. She relayed the events of the fire to them, knowing she would have to write it all up herself at a later time. At least, for now, they had a record of what had transpired. Further conversations could wait. Upon her pleading, they bid her well and cleared the hospital of all House 51 employees, with the exception of Severide who may never leave her side again.

They only had a few minutes to wait before Adam Ruzek stepped in from behind the curtain. "Hey," he said with a sympathetic smile and a squeeze of her shoulder. "How're you doing?"

Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own, "They sent you to take my statement?"

"Yeah," he said, sneaking a glance at Kelly. "Is that ok?"

"I mean, why? Why Intelligence?" she asked. Kelly took her hand in his and squeezed a bit. The quiver in her voice told him that she was about to go off the rails.

Adam heard it too and spoke in the soft manner he saved for victims. "Well, we have a city firefighter who apparently tried to kill another city firefighter in the middle of a fire. Boden called Voight and asked if we could handle it." He smiled at her, "So, here I am."

Ashley wanted to smile back. "If you keep talking to me like a victim, I'm going to lose my mind. Where is Garrett now?"

"He's been arrested. He's at the station."

"What happens now?"

He would have told anyone else to stop answering his questions with questions, but she was a friend and, although she was acting tough, there was fear in her eyes. "I need to ask you some questions. Kelly should wait outside."

"No," she said. She tugged at his hand as he tried to make a move to leave. "I'm only doing this if he is here."

Adam flipped open a notepad and pulled a pen from his inside pocket. He wasn't one for taking notes, but found that if he looked down at it, people were more likely to open up to him. When she didn't say anything further, he began, "When did you first meet William Garrett?"

"We went through the academy together," she said.

"And what was the nature of your relationship?"

Ashley ran the hand that wasn't clinging to Kelly's through her hair in hopes that neither man would see the tremble that took over. She doubted either of them were fooled. Her eyes closed and she answered, "There was no relationship. He asked me out. I wasn't interested. He kept bugging me so I told him that I wouldn't date someone I worked with. He made my life a living hell through the academy. He showed up at 51 about a week ago, figured out that I'm with Kelly. You know the rest."

"OK," Adam said. "So when you say he made your life a living hell, can you be more specific?"

"No," she said, looking up at him. She wanted to cooperate. He was their friend. But she couldn't. "I can't. Why do we have to do this exactly?"

"We need to build a case."

"Why do we need to build a case? I'm not interested in building a case. That's not my job." Her voice rose with each statement. Kelly rubbed his thumb across her knuckles and made a soft shushing sound. Normally, she would have jumped on him for trying to quiet her, but she didn't have the energy. Plus, she needed him by her side. So she quieted.

"Ok, we want to make sure he doesn't hurt you again. Or hurt anyone else."

She turned to look at Kelly, "I don't want to work with Garrett anymore. Do we have enough to keep him out of 51?""

"We have more than enough," he said. "Boden will never let him back there. None of us will."

She turned back to Adam, "Then I'm all set. I don't want to answer any more questions. I don't want to talk about my past. I just want to go home.

"Ok," Adam said. "We'll stop for now. But, please, Ashley, if you change your mind, or think of anything else you want to add, call. It doesn't have to be me. You can call anyone in Intelligence. Ok?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah. Thanks, Adam."

"You're welcome." He shook hands with Kelly. "Take care of her, now."

"Oh, I will. Whether she likes it or not." When Ruzek left he enveloped Ashley in his arms and thought about never letting her go.


	4. Chapter 4

"Couch or bed?" Severide asked as he helped Ashley through the door.

"You know, I'm completely capable of moving around on my own. My ribs aren't even broken."

"Only thanks to your turnout gear. Now, you're lucky I'm not carrying you, and this is probably the only decision I'm going to let you make for a while so, couch or bed?"

"Bed," she said.

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked. "Maybe you should sit up for a bit."

"I can still punch. My arms are just fine."

Kelly laughed and helped her to the bedroom. Once she settled, he asked, "What can I get for you?"

Ashley reached for his hand and tugged. "Just stay with me," she said. He laid down beside her and pulled her under his arm.

"You have to let me take care of you," Kelly said. "I need some control here."

"You need control? What about me?" She squirmed around a bit trying to find a position that didn't make her more sore than she was. "When do I get to be in control?"

"Are you kidding me? You're always in control." He grabbed an extra pillow from behind his head and tucked it into her side to support her ribs. "It's time for you to let go. And you don't need to do everything alone. There are so many people who love you and will help you through this. Everyone at 51 has your back. And so does all of Intelligence."

"I don't need a pep talk right now." As comfortable as she was bound to get, nestled in with Kelly on one side and a pillow on the other, her eyes closed.

"No?" He kissed her temple and caressed his hand down her arm. "What do you need?"

"I told you. Just stay with me."

"Done." He waited for her breathing to even out a bit before he closed his eyes and relaxed for the first time in hours.

"Can I take a raincheck on the pep talk?"

He smiled above her head which lay under his chin. "Any time you'd like," he said. "They're one of my specialties."

As they drifted off to sleep, something that had been nagging in the back of Ashley's mind jumped forward. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hmm?" Kelly said.

"Did you shush me in front of Ruzek earlier?"

He smiled, "I'll do it again if you don't go to sleep."

She complied.

CFCFCFCFCF

They both slept in the next morning and barely made it into the living room when there was a knock at the door. Ashley settled on the couch while Kelly answered it.

"Wow," Jay Halstead said from the hallway, "you look rough."

"Well, it's a little early." He stepped aside and let Jay and Hailey Upton into the room.

"It's ten o'clock, man."

"Cops are here, Ashley. Think they came for you."

Ashley narrowed her eyes and groaned when she saw them. "I take it Adam's interview didn't pass, huh?"

"Sorry," Hailey said walking forward to sit with her. "Just be glad it's us and not Voight."

"Yeah," Jay said, "but he's next if you don't start talking."

Though he sounded like he was kidding, Ashley couldn't be sure. "But two of you?" she asked.

"Only Hailey," Jay said. "I'm here to help Kelly make coffee. Come on, Kelly. You seriously look like you could use some." He led his friend to the kitchen and stood against the counter while Kelly moved around making coffee for everyone.

"What's the deal?" Severide asked. "Ruzek couldn't get her alone last night so you're tag teaming us?"

"Pretty much," Jay said, arms folded across his chest. "Also to tell you that Garrett's out on bail this morning."

Kelly turned to face Jay. "You're kidding me!" he said as Jay shook his head. "How the hell did that happen? He tried to kill her less than twenty-four hours ago."

"He has a lot of family money and, apparently, some connections. That's why we really need Ashley to cooperate right now. There's a bit more to this than him leaving Ashley for dead in the middle of a fire."

"More? What more?'

Jay shrugged, "After he bailed, we found intel that he may have a history of stalking women. One woman in particular three years ago who's been missing ever since."

Kelly was trying to keep his voice down for Ashley's sake but it was becoming difficult. "And this was discovered after he got out?"

"Afraid so," Jay said. "With info from Ashley we're hoping to get a search warrant and take it from there."

Kelly braced himself against the counter and looked at Halstead. "I got to tell you, man, it's getting really hard for me to stay in control. I want to find this prick and lose it on him."

Jay took a step closer to the firefighter. "Severide, you've got to hold it together. Going after him will not help anyone. Let us do our jobs. We'll get him. You just focus on taking care of Ashley."

"She's going to let me take care of her for about ten more minutes. Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Then go back to living your lives. Let us know if he shows up anywhere. He probably won't. But don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah." Kelly nodded his agreement and turned back to the coffee.

CFCFCFCFCF

Hailey sat with one leg curled underneath her facing her newest friend. She and Ashley hadn't know each other for long, but they clicked. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," Ashley said. "Honestly, I've felt worse after a good Zumba class."

"Good. It could have been much worse."

"Well, yeah, if I had been burned to a crisp, that would have been worse." Making light of any situation was an attempt at easing her anxiety,. It fell short this time. "But seriously, Casely and Cruz got to me fast. I'm ok."

"Good. I'm glad," Hailey said. She paused in anticipation of the conversation shift she was about to make and leaned in a bit closer. "He's out of bail. And we think he may have done this before."

Ashley's stomach dropped and her complexion paled. "Seriously?"

Hailey nodded. "I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want to hear. He made bail this morning. And there's more." She waited for Ashley to get her bearings before she delivered more bad news. "He has a bit of a history of stalking. That's why Voight wants more details from you. We're trying to get enough for a search warrant. There may be a girl missing."

Ashley took a breath and tried to process all she's heard. "So this isn't over."

"Not yet."

"Look, Hailey," she sail. "As much as I just want to put all of this behind me and forget about William Garrett, I'm willing to help you. But there are things you're going to ask about that I haven't even shared with Kelly yet. I'm not doing that."

"Hey," Kelly said as he entered the room with Jay, each of them holding two coffee cups. He handed one to Ashley. "Don't worry about me." He rested his hand on her cheek. "You tell them whatever they need to know. You and me?" He gave her a wink. "We're good."

She turned her head into his hand and kissed his palm, then turned back to her inquisitors. "It's really not that dramatic of a story," she told the room as Kelly stepped back a few feet. "Like I told Adam, he asked me out and I said, 'no,' nicely. He kept asking and I told him that I wasn't interested in dating someone that I work with. Then the Academy became much more difficult for me. He sabotaged me every chance he got, like some kid on the playground who knocks you down when no one is looking."

Hailey asked, "Did you report this to anyone at the Academy?"

"No." Ashley removed a ponytail elastic from around her wrist and twisted it between her fingers.

"Did you tell anyone at 51 when he showed up there?"

"No. Hailey, you know how it is. We're in tough, male dominated fields. If we blab about stuff like this, we're done."

Hailey shook her head, "I know what you mean, but it's not right. And I'd like to think someone would have helped you."

"No," she said, annoyed by the tears that were burning her eyes. "Not if it was all just my word against his. Nothing would have happened. And my career was way more important to me. I could handle anything he dished out. Until now."

Jay had been quiet until this point, letting Hailey take the lead as they had planned, but now asked, "He ever get violent with you?"

She waited a beat before answering and everyone noticed. "No."

"He ever hit you?"

"No," she said, focusing her eyes on the intricate contortions of the hair tie.

"He ever put his hands on you?"

She looked up. "Why do you keep asking me the same question?"

"Because your not telling me the truth."

"Jay," Hailey said.

"Ashley, I'm a detective. That means people lie to me all the time. I know when I'm being lied to."

"I'm not trying to lie to you." Ashley looked down at her hands again. She felt her chin quiver and bit the inside of her cheek before answering. "He would just kind of slap my ass as I walked by. If no one was around. A little harder than flirty. That's it. He never hit me. He was probably just being flirty."

"Hey." Jay waited until she looked up at him. "That's hitting."

She exhaled and wrapped that band back on her wrist.

Kelly stepped forward, "Do you guys have enough information now?

"Yeah, we're good," Hailey said, standing. When Ashley stood as well, she gave her friend a hug. "Take care of yourself. Call if you think of anything else, ok?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "Thank you. Both of you."

Kelly escorted them out and then took in the sight of his wounded girl.

 **AN: I read these chapters a million times before posting, but always find a mistake once I post. Hope this one is ok. Thank you to all the reviewers, but I would love some more. Please? Thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

They spent the next two days hibernating in the apartment, watching movies and only leaving to pick up take-out. Ashley hid from the world and Kelly let her, even keeping their friends away after the encounter with Intelligence. He maintained a watchful eye, but gave her space and time to sort things out on her own. She knew where to find him when she was ready to talk.

Ashley woke with a start on their last night before returning to work, unable to identify what caused her rise from slumber. A brush of her arm informed her that she was alone in the bed. Her eyes opened and a brief scan showed Kelly slouched in a club chair at the far corner of the room. The moonlight wafting around the blinds allowed their eyes to lock and they stared in silence for a few minutes before he broke it. "There's more to it, isn't there? More than a couple of smacks on the ass."

She held his gaze for several more beats, then closed her eyes and turned over. Her last thought before falling back to sleep was that at least he knew there was more that he didn't know. Her mind played with the words and they comforted her. She didn't wake again that night.

CFCFCFCFCF

The air was unseasonably warm for March in Chicago and Eldridge enjoyed the sun on her face. She and Severide drove to work together to start their next shift. They usually took separate cars, but Kelly was not ready to let Ashley out of his sight. Getting back to work after forty-eight hours off was a welcome reprieve from worrying about each other and their ridiculous situation. Ashley could not stand to be pampered, but allowed some leeway because she knew Kelly needed to take care of her. Kelly wanted nothing more than to put Ashley in a plastic bubble, but stifling her would push her away. They needed to be at work. Kelly's arm rested along her shoulders as they ventured up the driveway of House 51, and Ashley started talking.

"Alright, so here's the plan," she said. "When we get in there, I'll make a beeline to the locker room and you go and make sure everyone knows that I'm fine and they don't need to talk to me about what happened."

"Everyone here's got your back," Kelly said.

"I don't want everyone to have my back. I want everyone to forget what happened. I am not going in there to face them. They're all going to make a huge deal out of me and I can't handle that right now. You have to cover for me."

Kelly stopped walking before they covered half the distance up the drive. He moved his hand from around her and placed it on her shoulder, holding her at arm's length. "Hey," he said as they made eye contact. "I'm not kidding here. I made them leave the hospital without seeing you, and I kept them away from the apartment for the past two days. They want to see you, and they are going to hug you, and you're going to let them and handle it."

His tone startled her and her stomach knotted. "Kelly, I-" she started.

"It's lieutenant," he said. He watched her pull in her bottom lip and bite it. When he received a puff of air as a response, he continued. "I can insist. And I do."

"Ok," she said. He released her shoulder and they walked into the station in silence.

CFCFCFCFCF

Severide walked into the cubicle office of his friend, Captain Matt Casey, unannounced and tossed himself onto the bed. Hands behind his head and eyes trained on the ceiling he waited for the captain to speak.

"Everything ok?" Casey asked, looking over his shoulder at the lieutenant.

"No," Severide said, "nothing's ok."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Ashley ok?"

"How would I even know? She seems ok enough. I mean, she's fine to work. Her pain's gone. But this thing with Garrett is weighing on her and she won't let me in. She still hasn't told me everything. Or the police for that matter."

"She's strong. She'll be ok. Give her time." He turned back to the paperwork on his desk.

"Yeah. Pulling rank on her this morning probably didn't help."

Casey's tone switched to his serious captain one and he abandoned his desk again. "Something I should know about?"

"No, it's handled."

"Is that the first time you've done that with her?"

"Yeah. And it sucks."

"First time's the worst. Trust me, it'll be alright. Talk to her later. I'm telling you, Ashley's tough."

"Yep. Maybe a little too tough for her own good," Severide said.

"You think that's what started her trouble with Garrett?"

He sat up on the bed and looked at his friend. "Are you suggesting this is her fault?"

"Of course not. Garrett's clearly an ass who doesn't know how to handle women, especially strong ones. That's all I'm saying."

"I hate him. And I want to find him."

Casey understood. He would have felt the same way if the situation involved Gabby instead of Ashley. But Severide would have held him back and talked sense into him. "Bad idea. You know that's a bad idea, right?"

"Yeah. I do. Save your speech. I already got it from Halstead."

"Good." He would have continued but they were interrupted by Connie who knocked on his door then opened it without waiting for any sort of acknowledgement.

"Captain. Lieutenant. Chief wants you both in his office. Now."

CFCFCFCFCF

Dawson strode into the bathroom and found her friend at the sink trying to hide the fact that she was crying. Ashley looked into the mirror and saw Gabby. She relaxed knowing that she could quit pretending, shut the water off and sobbed out a, "Hey."

Gabby turned around and locked the door, then walked to her friend. "Oh, honey," she said, wrapping her in a quick hug. Quick was the only kind of hug Ashley typically allowed. "How can I help?"

Ashley pulled herself up onto the counter next to the sink and slid back to the wall, crossing her legs. "You can't. But thank you. No one can at this point. I don't even know why I'm crying," she giggled trying to stop the flow of tears.

"You're overwhelmed. You've been through a lot these past couple of days. I think you're allowed to cry." She gathered some paper towels from the dispenser and hand them to Ashley.

"Yeah. I guess. Of course Kelly getting mad at me this morning didn't help."

"He got mad at you? As a boyfriend or as a lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant, of course. If he got mad at me as my boyfriend I could have just gotten mad at him right back. But, no, I had to just say, 'yes, sir,' and swallow my . . . whatever."

"Was this the first time he's done that?"

"Yeah." No longer wiping at her eyes, Ashley started to twist and tear the towels in her hands.

"That's the worst. Trust me. Casey and I have been through it. It'll get better. You're a candidate so you're still making mistakes. Pretty bad timing on his part though."

"Yeah. There's something else, too."

"What is it?"

"Jay and Hailey came by to take another statement." Her eyes couldn't meet Gabby's. "I didn't exactly tell them everything."

Gabby put a hand on Ashley's knee. "Why not?"

"I don't want to do this. I just want it all to go away and everyone to forget about Garrett all together. I don't see why I have to relive my past, especially with people who I'm just getting to know." The tears started again. "It's not fair. It feels like he just keeps hurting me."

A knock on the door interrupted Gabby as she was about to offer more words of wisdom. She handed Ashley another paper towel and turned to unlock the door. Seeing it was Connie, she opened it wider and allowed the woman to enter.

"Eldridge," Connie said, "Chief's looking for you. He's in his office."

"Great," Ashley's response stuttered out of her mouth as she pushed at her eyes willing the tears to stop.

"Wash your face," Connie said, unhappy to be the messenger to this poor girl. "But I wouldn't keep him waiting too long."

 **AN: Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I like this story so I wrote some more. I haven't been getting many reviews, but a bunch of alerts, so maybe someone out there likes it, too. Anyway, here's a little more . . .**

Ashley's body halted when it arrived at the door of the chief's office. Her eyes darted around the room to find it full of men who could not hide the fact that they had been talking about her. Boden stood tall and strong as always behind his desk. The two chairs in front of the desk were occupied by her captain and Antonio who both rose when she entered. Kelly held up the back wall, arms crossed in front of himself and head down. He was the only one who didn't react when she entered. She didn't know what to make of that, but had no time to consider it. The look of pity on the faces was more than she could handle anyways, so she would wait until later to consider the downward gaze of her boyfriend, who likely was only there because he was third in command in the building. She felt a nudge on her back and took a couple of more steps into the room as Connie shut the door behind her.

"Eldridge," Boden said, "Antonio's here with an update. Sit down."

"I'll stand, thank you," she said. She moved to stand in front of the desk and turned her attention to Antonio.

He had a look on his face that took her a moment to decipher but, when he cleared his throat and then spoke in a soft tone, she figured it must be the one he used for victims, like the one Adam had given her in the hospital. She was thankful that he got right to the point and said, "All charges against William Garrett have been dropped."

"What?" She meant to shout it but it croaked out of her mouth. He body betrayed her, too, as it sank into the chair that Casey had occupied. He moved to the back of the room to stand next to his friend while Boden and Antonio returned to their seats. She wondered if they realized how patriarchal they were. She figured they did, and then returned to the unpleasant conversation. "I don't understand. He tried to kill me."

"He says he didn't. That he panicked in the fire and became disoriented."

"Well, what about hitting me with a halligan?" she asked.

"He says he didn't. He doesn't know how you got hurt."

"And my say so doesn't count?"

He couldn't answer her question directly so said, "The DA doesn't have enough to prosecute."

She turned to her boss, "Is he coming back to work here?"

"Never," Boden said.

"Ok," she stood. "That's all I care about anyway."

"There's more," Antonio said. She sat and waited. "There's still a missing girl."

Ashley stood again. "That has nothing to do with me." She moved to leave the room.

"And there's a shrine of you in his apartment." That stopped her.

"Antonio," she said, pleading with her voice for this not to be true.

"I'm sorry, Ashley. Garrett's in the wind and you need to be protected while we look for him and the missing girl." He paused to give her a moment to digest what he had said. "Do you have any idea where he would be?"

"No," she said her voice finding its strength. "I know nothing about him. I had no relationship with him."

"Anything you can think of could help. Did he say anything? Have a special place he used to visit?"

"I never went anywhere with him. All of his harassment and abuse," her voice cracked, "took place in the buildings of the academy. I never spoke to him about anything else because I hated him. I have nothing to tell you."

Chief Boden said, "I can get someone to cover your shift today."

"No," she said to him, "that's what he wants. I am not losing my career over him. I need to stay here."

"She's probably safer here," Antonio said. "We put a car outside."

Casey said, "Everyone will watch her back on a call, Chief. She'll be fine."

Kelly decided that no more was to be accomplished through this conversation, so he vacated his post against the wall, took ahold of his girlfriend's hand and led her out of the room. Ashley kept her head down and tried to compose herself as he rushed through the building with her. He didn't let go of her until they arrived at his office. She stood still in the middle of the room while he shut and locked the door and closed all of the blinds. Then he reached for Ashley and pulled her into his arms. He held her tense frame, waiting for her to relax. After what seemed like way too long, he kissed the top of her head and said, "If you don't start breathing in the next ten seconds, I'm going to break protocol and perform mouth to mouth resuscitation on you."

Mission accomplished, Ashley let out a breath, and a soft giggle, and relaxed into his embrace. She let him hold her as she tried to process everything Antonio said. "What am I going to do?" she asked.

" _We_ are going to let Antonio and the rest of Intelligence do their jobs and _we_ are going to stay close to each other and go about their lives while they do that."

She looked up and met his eyes for the first time since they walked into work together, which seemed like ages ago. "Are you still mad about earlier?"

"No," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But we can talk about that if you want." He kissed her lips

"I don't want to about it," she said. "Ever."

"Yeah, but Casey said we probably should."

"You know," she said, kissing him, "I just really don't want Captain Casey to have an integral part of our relationship."

"Good point," he said, kissing her some more.

She pulled back, something nagging in the back of her mind. "Look, if you decide that this is more trouble than it's worth -"

"Don't," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."

She let him push her towards his bed and the kissing continued.

 **AN: I only own Ashley and that stupid William Garrett. Please review. Thank you!**


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